12 o'clock bell rings
by twilit angel
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha is your typical nerd who is hopelessly in love with the school princess, Sakura Haruno. However, he may get his chance to be with her at the Masquerade. Will he have the chance to be with her? Or will he be forever alone? Summary inside.


Summary: Sasuke Uchiha is your typical nerd who is hopelessly in love with the school princess, Sakura Haruno. He thinks he'll never have a chance with her, even when the school's dance is occurring. Hinata Hyuuga, his best friend, thinks otherwise. With Hinata as his 'fairy godmother' will he have the chance he's always dreamed of to be with the girl he loves? Or will he forever be the hopeless nerd-in-love? Maybe he won't, as long as the midnight bell doesn't ring!

**Disclaimer: I do not own the title or the characters nor the song lyrics.**

**12 o'clock bell rings**

_At the stroke of midnight the spell will break and you will return to normal..._

Sasuke Uchiha sighed as he heard the grandfather clock outside his room in the hallway chime nine times, signaling the time of nine o'clock. He slammed the chemistry book he was doing his homework in shut, unable to do any work with only thoughts of her in his head.

It wasn't a normal Saturday night like it usually was. This particular Saturday night Konoha Academy was holding its annual ball as of that moment. Every single year all the students get excited for the wonderful dresses and dressy attires they could wear as well as who they would be asking to the ball...Except for one Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke was not like all the other students. Sure, he was excited for the ball like every other person. However, only one thing stopped him from going all together. And that was the problem of who would go with him. Why this was a problem?

Because Sasuke was a nerd.

He always wore the baggy clothes that never fit and the huge glasses that seemed to cover his entire face like a mask. He wasn't unattractive, per se. His nerdy disguise used to be just that once upon a time: a disguise. Now, as a teenager in high school, that mask had morphed into what he was as of then. It was who he was. Who in the world would ask a nerd like him to go to the ball? Even if someone did ask him, there was only one girl he would accompany to the ball and her name was Sakura Haruno.

Sakura Haruno was, unfortunately, the girl Sasuke was hopelessly in love with. He wasn't sure how it happened; how he fell for that strange girl who used to chase after him when they were but children. It must have occurred somewhere down the line of their high school days in either Freshman or Sophmore year. All he knew was that one day he had gazed into her gem-like eyes as she helped him after being knocked down. He was hooked that one instant. How he desperately wished he could glimpse into those eyes once more.

_Yeah, if she didn't flinch at my appearance first. _Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes. Sakura would be appalled at the very sight of him. They were on opposite sides of the school hierarchy. He was a simple nerd at the bottom of the hierarchy who thought doing homework was fun; she was the girl at the very top who would go out with friends to parties. It would be obvious she would have no time for a guy like him. Besides, she would never even look his way twice. Still, Sasuke couldn't help but wish it were somehow possible they could be together. If only he had the chance! _But wishes are for fools who waste their time dreaming the impossible. My impossible is that Sakura Haruno will never like a guy like me ever again._

He reclined in his chair staring out his window to the rising moon. All was silent around him as his parents were out having dinner with some company friends and his older brother was still out for college. Sasuke sighed once more wondering about his best friend, Hinata Hyuuga. Hinata had gone to the ball with her boyfriend, Naruto Uzumaki, like every other sane person who had a date. Hinata and Naruto were both near the top of the hierarchy. They were expected to go. Sasuke wondered if she was having fun dancing all night with Naruto under the starlight.

_Very romantic_, he thought sarcastically. _She must be having the time of her life_.

Not that he wasn't happy for her. Quite the contrary! He was happy Hinata could spend time with her idiotic boyfriend as much as she could. Sometimes, he felt slightly remorseful of the fact she would spend time with him, a nerd, when she could be spending time with her friends. Hinata almost tried to say she would spend the night of the ball with him at his place so he wouldn't be lonely. Of course, he managed to talk her out of it.

_"Sasuke, are you sure you don't want me to stay with you?"_ Hinata had asked earlier that day.

_"I'll be fine. Go have fun with that dobe all you like,"_ said Sasuke, thinking of how awful it would feel for him to interrupt her date. He knew Hinata would stay with him during the night with Naruto so he wouldn't be lonely. That would only make him feel more out of place.

At the time she had scrunched up her nose thinking of how much he was against being the awkward third wheel. Then, she had only said she would be sad he wasn't going. He wasn't sure, but he felt like something would be happening concerning his best friend.

The sound of his cell phone ringing brought him out of his thoughts. Sasuke reached a hand over to his desk where his phone lay near his forgotten homework. Without looking at the screen he pressed the answer button.

"Hello?"

"Hello, little brother."

"What do you want, Itachi?" asked Sasuke, silently groaning. Of all the people to call him it had to be his brother.

"I'm offended. Sasuke. I can't call my precious little brother when I feel like it?" Itachi said, sounding offended at the accusation.

"Not if you want me to do something I don't want to or to bother me."

"Okay, you got me. I was wondering why you're not out tonight."

"Oh, no. Here we go again," Sasuke muttered to himself.

"Come now. I heard from Sasori's cousin there's a little masquerade at that school of your's tonight. I am simply wondering why you have not gone."

"Itachi, do you really need to ask _why_ I'm not at that right now?" Itachi already knew his little brother was a nerd.

"Ah, I see. No date again?" he asked.

"No date in the first place. Who would want to go with me?"

"You're not _that_ ugly. You're actually quite handsome compared to some boys," Itachi complimented.

"Itachi, in case you haven't noticed, I look like I just woke up. Every single day."

"Hm, then why do you not change your style?"

"Need I remind you whose fault it was I'm like this in the first place?" Sasuke scoffed. It was actually Itachi's suggestion so long ago that, to avoid the girls who stalked him like crazy, he should wear a disguise that would drive them away. In all honesty Sasuke's transformation was his fault; when he realized this Itachi both teased and pitied him with a dash of guilt.

"Touche, little brother. You certainly do not look like the boy you once were."

"You mean the one being stalked by girls obsessed with me?"

"Yes. Those were the good ol' days," he chuckled. "Well, I'm sorry you do not have a date to go with. I thought you would go with that one girl you like so much. The one with the flower's name?"

"Sakura wouldn't go out with me in the first place. There were other guys she picked that are better than me." Sasuke sighed. What were the chances of someone like Sakura going out with me or accepting him?

"Hm...Perhaps you will soon get your chance with Sakura."

"What are you talking about?"

Sasuke was confused when Itachi continued to chuckle. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough. Have a nice night, little brother."

A dial tone sounded, ending the call.

"What was that about?" he muttered, locking his phone. He placed it on the desk to ponder his words. What did Itachi mean by that? It sounded like he had something planned for him. When they were younger he would act very mysterious and cryptic when he was planning something for his little brother. Usually, it was something embarrassing that was meant to help him out in someway, which most of the time it did not. Itachi meant well, but he never did anything right despite what most people thought. Not when it came to his little brother.

Sasuke pushed thoughts of his brother to the back his head. Well, since he wasn't doing anything tonight he might as well as get a head start on that essay due on Tuesday. He pulled out some paper and a pen to start writing a thesis and an outline as the clock outside chimed nine-thirty. As it chimed three times and ended on its fourth his door slammed open. Whipping his head around, he blinked in surprise.

"Hinata?" There, at the doorway, stood his petite best friend. She was wearing a lilac dress that matched her own eyes with her hair curled to the point it was wavy. In one of her hands was a sparkly mask while there were two fake glittering wings behind her. Sasuke never saw Hinata as nothing but a friend, but he had to admit she was beautiful. "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the Masquarade?"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I couldn't stay there knowing my best friend was sitting here alone," Hinata said, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

"But what about that dobe boyfriend of yours? You didn't ditch him, did you?"

"Oi! I'm not a dobe, teme!" said Naruto, coming up behind Hinata. He was dressed, surprisingly, in a black tuxedo with a matching bowtie. Usually, one would see him in his trademark orange hoodie, but he traded that out for something more formal. The only hint of orange on his outfit was the orange fox-like mask in his hand.

"You moron! I told you not to let her come back here until that ball was over!" Sasuke hissed. Ugh, that stupid idiot! He warned him not to let Hinata run back to his house so she could keep him company. If anything, Hinata was loyal to her friends until the end meaning she didn't want to leave him by himself.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, man. You know Hinata. She can be persuasive when she wants to be. Plus, it's not like we left the ball entirely."

"Excuse me?"

"Naruto is right. We are actually going back to the ball later," Hinata said. She sat down at the bed delicately to not wrinkle her dress.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Then, why are you here? Why did you leave in the first place?"

"Well, Hinata was worried about you since we got to the ball," Naruto explained. "You know how she is. She didn't want to leave you alone at home when all of us were having fun. I kept telling her it was your choice to stay at home like a good little bookworm, but she wouldn't stop. She kept saying stuff like, 'Sasuke would have so much fun here' or 'It's his last year. I wish he would have come so he wouldn't regret it later on.' I have to admit she was right a bit."

"Of course! It's our last year and he hasn't gone to the dances since we came to high school," Hinata said, frowning. "Sasuke, since we came to high school you haven't enjoyed yourself once. This is your last chance to do something worthwhile."

"Worthwhile? Like what? I hate almost everyone at school and they feel the same about me." Most of the school, once he lost his handsome looks, hated Sasuke for being the little loner nerd. They all thought he was weird that he was by himself most of the time and preferred to spend his time in the library studying. What most people didn't know was that outside of school Sasuke still participated in his martial arts studying along with Naruto and a few other people. He _did_ have a life out of high school, though he didn't like being around other people. Why should he care about doing something 'worthwhile' when he disliked everyone at school?

"You could have your chance with Sakura."

He tensed. Hinata knew he was hopelessly in love with Sakura and by the looks of Naruto's grin, so did he.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Sasuke, you can finally tell Sakura your true feelings about her. This is your perfect chance! Everyone is wearing their costumes and masks so no one will know who you are! You can tell her the truth!" Hinata was on her feet by all the excitement of her idea, eyes sparkling. "You've been in love with Sakura since the beginning of Freshman year. It's our senior year of _high school_ already. I don't want you to go off to college regretting how you didn't confess your feelings to her."

"I still find it ironic you fell in love with the girl who chased you back in grade school," Naruto snickered.

"Oh, shut up! Like I'm the one who was running after her while she was chasing me," Sasuke retorted. Naruto used to have a crush on Sakura back in grade school. Because Sakura liked him at the time, Naruto hated him in turn. Luckily for everyone, he grew out of the crush by the end of Middle school when Sasuke fell for Sakura the next year later.

"Hey, at least _I_ got to confess to her everyday how much I liked her. I'm not the one pining over her now," he shot back with a satisfied smirk.

Sasuke said nothing, glaring at him. He couldn't say anything more without digging himself a deep hole. It was bad enough the boy he called a dead last when they were younger was much better than him at school (only with popularity; unfortunately for Naruto, Sasuke was still much stronger than him and smarter than him).

"Naruto!" Hinata glared at her boyfriend.

"What? It's true." He shrugged off the glare, though he did shiver. Hinata was scary, which most people didn't know.

She sighed. "Look, the point is we want you to come with us to the ball so you can go tell Sakura about your feelings."

"Go? To the ball?" Sasuke snorted, folding his arms. "Forget it. I'm not going to something like that. I don't even have the ticket to go to the ball."

"Which is why I bought one in advance." Hinata reached into her purse handing off the crook of her arm to pull out a small, unused ticket for the ball.

He stared at her. "When did you buy that? Wait, did you think I was going to the ball?"

"I bought it in advance in case you changed your mind."

"B-But I'm not allowed to go," he said. It was partly true he wasn't allowed out of the house. His parents had a strict curfew of him being home by nine (with an overprotective mother, he couldn't believe how late that was for him). Not to mention, his mother didn't want her baby out so late.

"Itachi said it's all right for you to go as long as you're back by twelve-fifteen. It's the time your parents are supposed to be home, right?"

"I-I don't have anything to wear?" Now he was just making excuses. He didn't want to go to the ball no matter what they said.

By the looks of both Naruto and Hinata, they realized this as well.

"We solved that, too." Naruto held up a bag Sasuke didn't realize he was holding. "Itachi said we can use one of his suits for you to wear. He sent them over to Hinata's place which he had fixed to fit you."

_Damn you, Itachi!_ Sasuke cursed. Now he realized what that phone call earlier was. Itachi was trying to set him up with the one he loved! He knew Itachi was annoying and devious, but this was a new low for him. Oh, he was so going to pay for this the next time he came to visit. He could just imagine his brother leaning back in his chair in his dorm room laughing manically. _Oh, just wait until I let his friends hear all his embarrassing baby stories. _Then,_ we'll see who's evil!  
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"Forget it. I'm not going to that stupid ball," Sasuke said defiantly. There was no way, no _how_, he was going to the ball. Even for Sakura, he wasn't going. He was going to make a fool of himself there, anyway. He wanted to end his high school days in peace without any gossip or torture from his classmates.

"Come on, Sasuke. Please? Everyone will be wearing masks at the ball and we don't reveal ourselves until midnight. You can still talk to Sakura as long as you don't let her know it's you," Hinata mentioned, slightly pleading. "You can leave before we do the unmasking at midnight."

"Plus, do you really want to disappoint Sakura? She's alone at the dance tonight anyway," Naruto mentioned in a sing-song tone.

Sasuke's ears perked up in interest. Sakura? Alone? _Her?_ She was practically popular! How in the world did she not have a date?

"There were a lot of guys asking her out to the ball," he continued, seeing his perplexed expression. "She said she was having a problem choosing one to be her escort, but she didn't like any of the guys that asked. So, she decided to come with her friends instead so she could dance with whoever's there. Almost all the guys have asked for a dance already and half of them she didn't know or even recognize. Dude, you're safe with your identity as long as you wear a mask."

"I don't know..."

"Sasuke, try it," Hinata said gently. She took one of Sasuke's hands into her own gloved ones with a pleading look. She was sincere in her plea. "I don't want you to regret never confessing to Sakura once we're older. This could be your only chance to see if you really do love her and if she's willing to give you a chance."

Sasuke bit his lip. He wasn't sure whether he should go or not. On one hand Hinata was right. This could be his only chance to have one night with the girl he loved. There wouldn't be anything like this without humiliating himself in public. Then, that's where the problem lay. He didn't want to humilate himself in public. The entire school would be at the ball and if he were to confess to Sakura and get rejected he would forever feel the humiliation for as long as he lived.

Which was terrifying unto itself.

Did he want to confess only to be rejected? Or did he want to regret the decision to stay silent in the future? As an Uchiha his family were all about taking risks with the confidence to take it. Well, if he was going to prove himself as an Uchiha this was the perfect thing.

With a deep breath he made the decision that would change his life forever.

"Alright. I'll go."

XXX

Much later, Sasuke would wonder whether he was sane at all when he decided to come to the Masquerade ball.

He stood by Naruto's obnoxious orange car waiting while Hinata and Naruto were giving him last minute tips.

"Alright, Sasuke, I don't know how much experience you have with girls but you never interrupt them when they're talking," Naruto was telling him. "Always compliment how pretty she is and don't bring up how pretty or beautiful other girls are even if it's true."

"Naruto, I already know this. Why would I say how beautiful other girls are?" Sasuke retorted, fiddling with the mask in his hands. He only thought of one girl as beautiful as her name.

"Hey, I'm just saying. You might not know that much about girls."

"When I have a girl as my best friend?"

"Naruto, Sasuke will be fine. He just has to act like himself with Sakura," Hinata said helpfully. She gave him another once over as she did in the past ten minutes. "Sasuke, I forget why you don't buy more fitting clothes. Those look nice on you."

_Nice_ was putting it lightly. Since Hinata was Sasuke's best friend, she didn't see him more than a friend. However, any other girl they could describe him in one word: gorgeous. Sasuke was an Uchiha, which meant he inherited the infamous handsome looks dominate in his family. His black inky hair managed to be tamed from its bedhead style to straight locks hovering above his shoulders. The suit he was wearing was obviously tailored to fit him accenting the muscles he still retained from his martial arts, but hid under baggy clothes. Most tuxedos are often the key to making a man look like someone women want, but with Sasuke and his already handsome looks they wanted him more than ever. (No, I'm serious. As a female, I can't help but think guys in suits are hot!)

It helped Hinata was his 'fairy godmother' for the evening. She managed to make him look presentable and as unrecognizable as she could. Taming his hair alone was enough to make people wonder who he was.

"I didn't want girls to stalk me for my looks for the rest of my life," Sasuke reminded her. He swept his bangs out of his face. Just because Hinata tamed his hair didn't mean it bothered him.

"Oh, yeah. So you decided to become a nerd instead. People went from loving you to hating you," Naruto reminisced.

"Yes, they did. Now, are we going to go do this or what? I want to get out of here as soon as I can."

"Now, now, Sasuke. You won't be saying that as soon as you dance with Sakura." Hinata grabbed his mask out of his hands, then placed it on his face. The mask itself was a half-mask and took up the upper part of his face. It was a startling bone white with a blood red teardrop underneath the white eye as if he was crying blood. She nodded to herself. "There! Now you're completely unrecognizable."

"Good job, Hina! You just turned the little nerd into a little Prince Charming! Well, an emo Prince Charming," Naruto said, grinning.

"Well, I _am_ his fairy godmother for the night," Hinata giggled as Sasuke glared at them both.

He was friends with these two? Maybe he had to rethink why he was friends with them again. They made him come to the ball because not only did they blackmail him into it with words of having Sakura by his side, but also for Itachi. He was the one who made them do this in the first place.

_Still going to kill him_, he thought, following closely behind Hinata and Naruto. They began making their way towards the entrance of the hotel where the Masquerade was being held. It was a high class hotel where they managed to get an elegant ballroom for the ball. Or at least by what he saw of the pictures the school showed everyone. There were no teenagers outside since it was late in the evening and the ball was open for quite some time. He, Naruto, and Hinata were the only ones entering at this point.

Entering the hotel, they made their way towards the ballroom. The doors to the ballroom were in sight with a boy and a girl standing guard to accept tickets for admission into the ball. Hinata suddenly stopped before they reached it.

"Oh! Sasuke, I almost forgot. Hand me your watch," Hinata said, whirling around to face him.

Sasuke tilted his head, but did as he was told. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a pocket watch with a raven carved into the front. It was a watch Itachi gave to him when he was much younger since he used to be late all the time before.

"_To keep you on track so you won't be late for any important date,"_ Itachi said, repeating the words of that Disney movie with the white rabbit.

He handed the watch to Hinata. She opened the watch and began fiddling with the knob on the top. One feature Itachi had in the watch was for it's alarm. He had no idea how Itachi managed to get a pocket watch with an alarm feature, but it proved useful. She snapped the lid shut carefully and handed it back.

"There! I set the alarm at midnight so we have enough time to get you back home," she answered, seeing his question in his eyes.

He nodded in approval. His parents would be home at exactly twelve-fifteen. If it weren't for Hinata, he would have never thought of that.

"Alright, we got him set for time. So let's move it!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. With one arm linked with Hinata's he marched forward to the boy and girl.

The boy and girl were talking animatedly, but Sasuke could tell they were flirting with each other by the way the girl was giggling. She stopped upon seeing the three. Her jaw dropped. The boy didn't notice.

"Hey, Naruto, Hinata. Back again?" the boy asked.

"Yeah, just had to pick up a friend." Naruto flashed his ticket briefly. Hinata did the same.

"Friend?"

Sasuke stepped forward to hand over his ticket to the boy. The boy finally saw him and stared. Sasuke scowled when he didn't take his ticket. Then, the girl took it, ripping one part and handed it back to him with a wide smile.

"There you are. Have fun at the ball!" she said, giggling again. A shiver went down his spine.

_Oh, no. Not again._ He recognized that look. He hasn't seen it in a long time since Middle school, but he still recognized it.

Before he could curse his existence, Hinata grabbed his arm and dragged him inside the ballroom.

The ballroom, to Sasuke's surprise, wasn't half bad. The room itself must have been at least a two story room with a ceiling high above with a crystal chandelier. A grand staircase was placed at the entrance of the room so all may see who is entering and leaving. Curtains of a tasteful color were hanging on the high windows as lights of a soft color illuminated the dark room along with the pulsing lights of different colors. They beat a different color to the upbeat song currently playing. Down below was where everyone was on the dance floor, moving to the song as if they were under a spell. He had to give the decor credit. It was fit for a ball. The music was okay for what it was.

When they entered Naruto nearly dragged Hinata down the stairs to start partying. She held him back.

"Naruto, stop that! We need to find Sakura!" she yelled over the loud music.

"Aw, I know, I know. We need to look for Ino if we're looking for Sakura. She was by her nearly the whole night!" he yelled back. He stood by the railing of the staircase, on his tippy toes to look over the crowd. "Now, Sakura's wearing a red dress so..." He blinked as some of the people near the staircase stopped dancing, looking at something above. He turned to Hinata while saying, "Hey, what are they all staring at?"

Hinata didn't answer, following everyone's line of sight. She saw what they were all staring at.

Sasuke stood at the top step for all to see. He stood quietly but proudly with hands inside his pockets. A red light flashed over his face, which made his eyes look blood red. They roamed around the crowd trying to see if he could find someone in the crowd. He didn't notice everyone staring at him from all around from the couples around him near the entrance to the groups of people below. However, every girl noticed him and whispered to their friends.

"Wow, who's he?"

"He's hot!"

"Just look at him. He's gorgeous!"

"So cool and mysterious!"

LIke wildfire, their words spread among the girls both with or without a date. The young men glared at him with envy or hatred. Most of them could not keep their dates' eyes long enough on them, but the moment this guy walks in they start acting like this! What they all wondered the same thought.

_Who is he?_

This was also the thought of one girl whose eyes were on him the moment he entered.

Sakura Haruno stared at the mysterious young man who entered. She stood at the side of the dance floor near the refreshment bar alone. Nearly the whole night since she arrived all she had been doing was dance with some guys who asked. Half of them she didn't even recognize, but being who she was she couldn't say no. Now there weren't any guys asking her for a dance as soon as she made her escape to the bar. It was a great relief to her.

To tell the truth, Sakura didn't want to come to the Masquearde in the first place. Ino was the one who dragged her there to the first place. At first she didn't plan on going to the ball, but then Ino already bought her ticket and didn't tell her until the week before the ball. She even lied to all the guys who asked her out that she was going with some friends. She actually wanted to stay home. But Ino made her come with an excuse.

"_It's our last Masquerade ball! You should go or you'll regret it in the future!"_ Ino said.

Sakura was guilted into it and was made to go. She did admit she had fun at the ball, but she felt lonely with all these people. Ino was having fun dancing with her boyfriend, Sai, while all her other friends were dancing with guys they liked. She was alone. She didn't find a guy she liked at the ball since they liked her for being so popular at school. But then...

That young man came...

Upon seeing him she froze. Like every other girl she thought the young man was gorgeous and couldn't possibly be real. Yet, she also felt like she knew him from somewhere. Like he was somebody she met a long time ago...

_Sasuke..._

Her cheeks flushed, thinking of the boy the young man reminded her of. A long time ago she used to have a crush on Sasuke Uchiha. The first time she met him she knew she liked him more than any other boy. At first it was because he was handsome. All the girls liked him because of that and how cool he was. However, she began to like him for so many other reasons. She loved how he was kind and gentle after seeing him help a hurt kitten on her way home and how he acted like a little kid with his older brother. It was a side of Sasuke no one else really knew.

Yet when he changed his looks, the girls didn't like him anymore and the boys started to pick on him. When they picked on him, strangely enough, he allowed it. He didn't fight back when she knew he could. Sakura immediately realized he started to wear clothes like that to protect himself from people who wanted to use him for his riches or his looks. The entire time throughout high school she silently stood by watching him. She already knew the Sasuke beyond his looks and didn't hate him for how he looked now. No, it only made her fall more in love with him.

However, for a girl her status she could never let her feelings show. Ino warned her a lot of the girls would start picking on her like they used to and the boys would be even more ruthless against Sasuke. Sakura didn't want that to happen, so she couldn't do anything but watch silently. No matter how much she wanted to be by Sasuke's side she could not let deal with that. She wanted him to be more at peace more than her desire to be with him.

She loved him too much for that to happen.

"Sakura!" Through the crowd of people, Ino managed to shove her way over to her. Dressed in a purple dress hugging her curvy figure, she grabbed Sakura's arm, her blue eyes twinkling behind a silver mask. "Would you look at him? He knows how to make an entrance, huh?"

"Yeah, but who is he?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"I don't know. Everyone's wondering, too. But isn't he gorgeous?" Ino squealed excitedly. She sighed dreamily. "He's like some Prince Charming coming to the ball like this. I'd love to have a guy like him."

"Don't let Sai hear you say that. You've already got a boyfriend," she teased.

She waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But still, you can't help but look at him. He's so cute! But he seems really familiar, though."

"Yeah." Sakura nodded. She watched the young man step down the stairs gracefully, eyes continuing to roam the crowd. Once at the bottom step, he ignored the way the girls near him were giggling or whispering to each other about him. That was strange unto itself. The young man must have known there were a lot of girls there without a date. Was he looking for someone? "Ino, doesn't he seem like he's looking for someone?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Look, he keeps looking around the crowd like he's looking for someone."

"Maybe he's looking for someone to dance with?"

True enough, the young man didn't stop looking around the crowd of people. However, they saw a girl walk up to him. The girl was smiling a lot, trying to look as cute as possible. The young man stared at the girl with a scowl on his face. The girl asked him something, but then the young man ignored her. He pushed past her and walked into the crowd.

"Okay, maybe he's not," Ino decided. A contemplative expression crossed her face. "Still, why would a guy like that come here if he wasn't going to dance with girls? It's obvious he's single!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell if he's single?"

"He doesn't have a girl hanging off his arm. A guy like that would obviously have someone hanging off his arm if he did have someone," she explained in a 'duh' tone.

Ino did have a point. The young man was too handsome to be here alone if he did have a date. Still, was he looking for someone here? That must be the reason he rejected that girl.

Sakura searched the crowd to look for the young man. For some reason, he was so familiar. She couldn't quite figure out why, though. Through the bodies of people, she couldn't find that mask with a blood tear. There were simply too many guys wearing a suit to tell them apart from one another. The upbeat dance music turned to a slow song. She watched enviously as everyone in the crowd began to pair up while others walked off to get refreshments. Why couldn't she have something like that? She hated being the only one without someone to dance with. Still, there was one guy she could truly dance with if he was here.

Sighing, she took a sip of punch when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me?" said a low, husky voice behind her. Sakura glanced over her shoulder, but froze at seeing ashy grey eyes hidden behind a white mask with a tear of blood. Lips that were once scowling were pulled back into a gentle smile. "May I have this dance, princess?"

Sakura stood still, unsure of whether this handsome man was really asking her to dance with him after he rejected a girl five times prettier than her. Near her, she could almost see Ino squealing in delight for her best friend. She barely noted her snatching her cup out of her hand as she nodded. He held out his hand for her to take, which she did with a shaky hand. Gently and much like a real prince, he led her to the middle of the dance floor. It seemed as if everyone moved to let them pass without a second thought.

The mysterious Prince Charming (as she began to think of him) moved one hand to her waist while the other continued to hold her hand. Unlike most of the guys she danced with that night, he held her delicately as if she were a porcelain doll while keeping her close to him. She barely noticed others around her were staring at the pair of them as she gaze into his eyes. He led her to a slow dance to the timing of the song playing.

_Heart beats fast, colors and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

_Watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow_

Sasuke gazed into Sakura's gem-like eyes that sparkled by the light. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe he was really here dancing with the girl he loved in his arms. His heart was beating so fast he was afraid she could almost hear it. Yet, he couldn't help but feel at ease with her there. Before, he was afraid she would reject his offer to dance so much he wanted to run. When he saw her standing there by herself, a vision in red like a princess, with such a sad look in her eyes, he couldn't let that stay there. So when she accepted his hand...

It was as if there was nothing he couldn't do.

_One step closer..._

"Ah, excuse me?" Sakura said, red lips forming her words. With a delicate tilt of her head, she asked, "Do I...know you?"

Now, Sasuke Uchiha could be told he wasn't a romantic at all. He was too stoic to come up with meaningful words on the spot. Yet, the next words he said were full of the love and admiration he had for her he was almost embarrassed to recount them to Hinata later on.

"You may, you may not. But I've known you for so long, it's as if I've waited for a thousand years to meet you, Princess."

_I have died everyday waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

By this time, Sakura was blushing a hearty red. The young man enjoyed that, chuckling. She ducked her head facing his chest. No guy has ever said that to her. Naruto may have at one point when they were younger and goodness knows Sasuke never did. She was sure her heart was jumping for joy at this point at the thought of a guy like this saying that king of thing to her.

"But who are you? You seem so familiar to me. Have we met before this?" she continued to ask, desperate to know what kind of guy he was to say something like that. Was he trying to be romantic? Did he just say them in the moment?

"I'm not sure if I'm familiar to you. I know this isn't the first time we've met," he answered mysteriously. "What I do know is I've been watching you from a far. You know, looking sad as you did earlier doesn't suit you. I've always seen you smiling before now."

"Y-You saw that?"

"Of course. A beautiful girl like you shouldn't stand there so sad. Your smile makes your eyes shine like a gem."

Sakura looked up into the young man's eyes. She didn't need to ask if he truly meant that. His eyes said them all.

_Time stands still_

_Beauty in all she is_

_I will be brave I will not let anything_

_Take away what's standing in front of me_

_Every breath every hour has come to this_

_One step closer_

"I'm sure you say that to all the girls," Sakura said, giggling slightly.

"Hm, perhaps," Sasuke hummed. "Still, I must have been lying to all the other girls. They don't deserve to be called that next to a girl like you."

"Oh? Then what kind of girl am I?" she asked cheekily.

"Hm...Let me think for a second..." He eyed her as if he was scanning her for all her good traits. "Smart, beautiful, considerate...You're always smiling to everyone and you don't say no very easily, which is a good thing for you. And..."

She quirked her eyebrow. "And?"

He chuckled again at her eagerness. He leaned down slightly so his lips were near her ear. To everyone else it would look like he was kissing her on the cheek.

"You are so kindhearted it melted my cold heart and was captured by your smile."

_I have died every day waiting for you_

_Darling don't be afraid_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

_All along I believed I would find you_

_Time has brought your heart to me_

_I have loved you for a thousand years_

_I'll love you for a thousand more_

Now Sakura knew she was blushing as red as her dress. This couldn't be happening. Was this handsome guy really saying all these things to her? They only just met! But, he did say she knew him and he was always watching her from afar. She surely must have known him!

"That's ridiculous. You see all of that just by watching me?" she asked, bashfully.

"Do you doubt me?" This time, it was the young man's turn to quirk an eyebrow.

"N-No, but I'm wondering how you can say all of that? We've just met despite you watching me."

"You know, seeing is believing, but sometimes you have to believe despite what you see. Sakura..." Something in his tone caused her to stop and stare up at him. He stopped dancing, staring at her. She stared back, wondering what could be going through his head. He seemed conflicted. Then, he shook his head. "May we go somewhere private? I promise I will cause you no harm."

Sakura, at first, was going to object. However, she thought about the things she's seen in his eyes alone. They, at first glance, seem to be guarding something from the world like some priceless treasure. When it came to her they dropped their guard completely revealing his truths and lies and every single emotion that passed through them. He truly meant no harm to her.

She nodded.

The young man then gently lead her past the dancing couples on the dance floor towards the open door leading to a balcony. The balcony wasn't that large or as fancy with only a few pots of rose bushes and a table chair. However, it was the view that captured the attention. The balcony overlooked a garden the hotel kept. There were flowers of different kinds for people to admire and enjoy. In the middle of the flower bushes was a magnificent fountain. Down below, she could see a couple sitting by the fountain talking. The moonlight gently framed the couple where she could see them talking to one another without any barriers between them. Sakura turned her gaze up to the moon and stars.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Yes." Sakura nearly jumped when a hand brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. She could see Prince Charming staring at her. "You are."

"I-I was talking about the stars," she stuttered.

"Well, I'm talking about you. You're both beautiful."

She turned her face away so he wouldn't see her blushing so much. "Why do you keep saying all of that? How do I know if you're playing with me and just saying that?"

"I'm not that kind of person. If I want to say something to someone, I mean every word of it," he replied.

She blinked, tilting her head to see him. What he said...That sounded familiar as well. What bothered her was how it was familiar. Who could have something something like that? "You know, you remind me of someone I used to know."

"Oh? Do I?" he inquired.

"Yes, you act like him and talk like him. And now that I think about it, you look like him, too," she said, realizing he was _very_ much like Sasuke. If it weren't for his straight hair, she would have thought this _was_ Sasuke. Of course, that was ridiculous. Sasuke would never come to the ball in the first place, much less talk to her and dance with her.

"Really? What kind of guy is he?"

"Well, I haven't spoken to him in a long time. I still know him but I admire him from a far like you do with m-me," she stuttered again. "When you first see him he might seem like a cold guy who cares only about himself, but he really isn't like that. He's kind to others if they're in trouble and he never fights back even when he's being picked on. Despite his outward appearance, he truly is a good person."

"It sounds like you like this guy."

She laughed nervously. "I used to when we were younger. Now, I doubt he even remembers me."

"No, I think he would." Prince Charming reached over to tilt her head towards him. Here, she could see the soft look in his familiar eyes. "If I were this guy, I would have remembered you and would be so lucky I had someone like you in my life."

"Wh-What are you saying?"

"Sakura..." He leaned forward towards her. She was caught off guard when he came close and pressed his lips against her. She stood entirely still, unsure of what to think or feel except for how soft his lips were. Before she knew it, he pulled back and opened his mouth to say, "I...I love-"

_BEEP! BEEP!_

They both jumped at the loud beeping noise. Sakura glanced around to see what could have made that noise. Prince Charming cursed, reaching into his jacket to fiddle with something. The beeping noise stopped.

"Fuck! Not now!" he cursed, glaring at something in his hand.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked curiously. He was really upset with something.

Prince Charming ran a hand through his hair. He smiled at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm really lucky to have spent this night with you. I'll treasure our time together forever."

"Wait, what are you saying?"

He swooped down again to kiss her tenderly on the cheek as he whispered two words.

"Sakura...Thank you."

Then, he ran back inside.

Sakura, after spending a little time with the mysterious young man, knew he couldn't let him get away. He said all those things to her that made her heart leap in her chest to the point it was bursting. No guy has ever said those things to her and meant them. She chased after him.

"Wait! Wait, please don't go!" she yelled after him, following him through the dance floor. While she had a problem getting through everyone, Prince Charming ha little trouble getting to the grand staircase. She managed to see him run up the stairs two at a time when she was knocked over. She landed on the ground hard where she knew a bruise would be forming.

"Oh, damn! Sorry about that!" a boy with a black domino mask apologized. He grabbed her hand to pull her up.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine." Sakura left the boy without so much as a glance. She ran over to the staircase, searching for the young man. There was no sign of him anywhere. She ran up the stairs to see if he could have gone that way to see nothing. Then, suddenly, she felt her foot step on something.

Glancing down, Sakura was surprised to see a pocket watch with a raven carved onto the lid. She bent down to pick it up. Tilting her head, she pressed a button to open the lid. She read the clock face-a quarter to midnight. It must have belonged to Prince Charming, she realized. Lifting her head, she searched the top of the staircase once more to see if he was around.

He was not.

Her heart and the pocket watch suddenly seemed empty. She lifted her hand to her cheek where he kissed her, remembering the words he almost said to her...Three words she wished Sasuke would say to her.

_Who is he?_ she wondered. She sighed deeply, holding the pocket watch to her chest. _I hope we meet again someday._

She had no idea how true this would be.

XXX

Inside a car Sasuke was banging his head against the back of the passenger's head rest.

_Stupid, stupid! I'm such a goddamn idiot!_ he screamed at himself.

"Sasuke, calm down. I don't see what's wrong," Hinata said in front of him, fixing her hair after Sasuke pulled both Naruto and her out of the dance floor to shove them back to Naruto's car.

"What's wrong? How could you not see what's wrong! I kissed Sakura and almost told her I loved her!" he yelled, continuing to slam his head of the memory.

"Dude, chill. You're being over dramatic," Naruto said, keeping his eyes on the road. "So you didn't tell her you loved her. Big deal! You could always tell her later."

"You idiot! There _is_ no later! This was the only time I ever got to tell her how I felt and I couldn't even say it!"

"So why can't you tell her? You didn't even tell her who you were!"

"I didn't tell her who I was only for my heart to break later! Plus, it's not like she would have accepted my feelings anyway," he sighed. He stopped banging his head to let it rest against his own headrest where he stared at the grey roof of the car.

"Why do you think that?" Hinata asked.

"Sakura...We were talking and she said I reminded her of one guy she knew. She was telling me how cold he was and he was really kind on the inside." Just thinking about this ticked him off. What guy was she talking about? "By the way she described him, she sounded like she was in love with _him._ Damn it!"

"Huh. I know Sakura isn't seeing anyone but it sounds almost as if she were talking about..." Hinata drifted off into thought. Sasuke didn't notice, but Naruto did. However, he didn't say anything.

Sasuke closed his eyes. He had the one chance to tell Sakura about his feelings and he didn't have enough time to say it. Not to mention Sakura was most likely in love with someone else. He clenched his fists in his lap. This sucked. Why couldn't the world give him enough time to say what he wanted to say? Still, he couldn't help but be happy. He got to spend time with Sakura when he never had the chance to do so before. For one night he was the one guy Sakura got to pay attention to instead of some nerd.

He sure as hell wished the spell of happiness in that time period never ended.

Off in the distance he could imagine the bell of the grandfather clock back him ringing its bell at midnight.

_The bells will toll...Ringing the end of the spell..._

* * *

><p>So...I did another story with Sakura and Sasuke as it's main characters. However, this is not the end of that, dear readers. This is part one of my two shot deal based on multiple Cinderella stories, but this time with Sasuke as Cinderellla. Or rather, Cinder<em>fella<em>.

Okay, that wasn't funny. Anyway, this was inspired after reading a combination of Sasuke fanfics where he's a nerd and unpopular and the one Cinderella story as same as the title of this story, _12 o'clock bell rings._ It has a rather...unique ending to the story which I certainly love. What's funny is how the mangaka of the one-shot is also the twin brother of the _Naruto_ mangaka, Masashi Kishimoto. I don't care what people say. This one-shot is probably my favorite of Seishi Kishimoto's works. Funny how he drew something close to a shoujo manga.

Anyway, review please!

-Twilit Angel


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